PHDCCI's UP Chapter Deliberates With Experts On Importance Of Safety Management Practises In MSMEs

LUCKNOW || The Uttar Pradesh Chapter of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) organized a Virtual Seminar on “Importance of Safety Management Practices in MSMEs in Uttar Pradesh" on Friday. The conference was supported by the leading manufacturer of safety devices – Safety Control & Devices Pvt. Ltd.

The objective of the Webinar was to deliberate not only upon the imperative importance of safety management practices in MSME units but also on regular maintenance of safety equipment and upon proper skill training to the workforce employed in this sector to ensure a healthy, happy and safe work environment across the State. The session will also shed light on the latest trends and technologies in fire & electrical safety and control devices in today’s era.

The chief dignitaries of the session included R K Vishwakarma, IPS, Director General – UP Fire ServiceKumar Keshav, Managing Director – UPMRC; J K Singh, Joint Director - UP Fire Service, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh; Manoj Gaur, Chairman, UP State Chapter, PHDCCI and MD Gaursons India; Manish Khemka, Co-Chairman, UP Chapter, PHDCCI; Rajnish Chopra, Managing Director – Safety Control & Devices Pvt. Ltd.; Javeed Ahmed, IPS (Former UP DGP) Jayant Singh General Manager - Human Resources Birla Carbon India Pvt. Limited and Atul Srivastava, Resident Director, UP Chapter, PHDCCI.

While delivering the welcome address, Manoj Gaur Chairman, UP State Chapter, PHDCCI after welcoming all the dignitaries gracefully shed light on Micro, small and medium enterprises and said that MSMEs are the main pillar of the economy of Uttar Pradesh. Minor accidents, ergonomics problems, old and outdated machinery, and lack of awareness have created a need for implementation of safety practices in MSMEs. Implementation of healthy working conditions creates positive impacts on economic and social development.

The State Government, now-a-days, have systems which enforces standards and provides training, outreach and assistance to ensure that workers have a safe and healthful workplace. In addition, most manufacturing facilities implement industry safety standards and safety procedures developed for their own site-specific safety needs, which might be unique.

He added that Uttar Pradesh is witnessing a substantial increase in terms of awareness about fire & electrical safety and control devices like fire sprinklers, fire hydrants, CCTV Cameras etc. The rapidly growing demand for fire protection equipment and technologies across the State in various businesses and domestic usages has significantly contributed towards the growth of the fire & safety equipment domains.

The Theme Address of the session was delivered by Rajnish Chopra, Managing Director, Safety Control & Devices Pvt. Ltd. He said that MSMEs not only play crucial role in providing large employment opportunities at comparatively lower capital cost than large industries but also help in industrialization of rural & backward areas, thereby, reducing regional imbalances, assuring more equitable distribution of national income and wealth but when it comes to safety management practices, it’s found that it is inadequate in most of the MSMEs.

Market competitiveness, better efficiency, less risk, and stringent laws were found to be most significant drivers; and financial constraints, lack of awareness, resistance to change, and lack of training for employees were found to be main barriers. In the organizational context, technology innovation may be linked to performance and growth through improvements in efficiency, productivity, better safety through proper human factor design, environmental quality, etc.

Technology innovations in MSMEs are possible in the design of products, processes, supply chains, etc. Unlike the large enterprises, MSMEs are not equipped with sophisticated technology, structured environment, or safety and health practices. Often in an MSME, workers need to work in adverse working conditions. This leads to accidents, injury, and product loss.

He said that every employer has a responsibility towards each employee to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, that the employee is, while at work, safe from injury and risks to health. An employee's perception will reflect how they believe that safety is to be valued in the organization.

Kumar Keshav, MD – UPMRC congratulated PHDCCI for organizing this Virtual Conference of Safety Devices. By highlighting the importance of safety he said that Micro Small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are often the main pillar of an economy. Minor accidents, ergonomics problems, old and outdated machinery, and lack of awareness have created a need for implementation of safety practices in MSMEs as implementation of healthy working conditions creates positive impacts on economic and social development.

J K Singh, Joint Director, UP Fire Service, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh gave the overall scenario of safety management practices and efforts the fire department is ensuring to be practiced state wide. He also summarized the basic set of rules and standards set by the Fire Department for every MSME units of the State.

He said that only installation of safety and control devices in any unit is not the solution but it’s equally important for the Industry Units to get them regularly checked/maintained and also to ensure proper skill training for all the employees at the workplace. He concluded by thanking PHDCCI for organizing the webinar on such an important and meaningful subject and inviting him to share his insights.

Javeed Ahmed emphasized that MSMEs play a very important role not only in the State’s Economy but also in generating employment. He said that over 44 Lakh MSME units are spread across the State which contributes in nearly 60% in the overall Industrial output. Ahmad also said that it’s imperative to practice safety management routines in every of the MSME units (big or small) to ensure a safe and confident work environment. He added that every small benefit or lapse in the safety management practices will make the MSMEs more or less competitive in the market.

Chief Guest R K Vishwakarma, IPS, Director General – Fire Services, in his keynote address shed light upon all the activities that have been done by UP Police to ensure safety in the State, such as, the department has set up world class ‘dial 100 police helpline’, where staff of almost 5 thousand people present to assist the citizens of the State; a ‘helpline of Dial 1090’ is women Safety; similarly there are safety helplines set up for traffic, fire, industrial and residential Sector. He also informed that the Fire Department has set a skilling and training center at Unnao near Kanpur where skilling related to safety measures is provided to the personnel for a healthy and safe environment.

He further added that from MSME perspective a lot of modern electronic gadgets like smart TV Camera, Tracking Devices, AI System, Fire Hydrants, medical devices, traffic devices, sensors are required to be manufactured and installed and also the trained workforce to operate these gadgets in order to ensure maximum safety and healthy work environment, as these gadgets are not only going to create a healthy work environment but also will assist in boosting their manufacturing capacity and improved productivity in the State which will further enhance employment opportunities, skilling of staff and generating more profits.

Manish Khemka, Co-Chairman, UP Chapter, PHDCCI and Atul Srivastava, Resident Director, UP Chapter, PHDCCI moderated the entire web-session and took questionnaire from the audiences to the panelists. The concluding remarks and formal vote of thanks was delivered by Jayant Singh General Manager - Human Resources Birla Carbon India Pvt. Limited who appreciated the presence of all the dignitaries who spared their valuable time for this meaningful webinar session.

The Interactive Webinar was well at tended by more than 100 participants comprising of Entrepreneurs, Safety Equipment Professionals, UPMRC representative, Government Representatives, Startup Enterprises, Senior Industrialists, policy makers and other stakeholders working in this area.